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Finance committee recommends $170,000 supplemental appropriation for parks master plan
Summary
The finance committee voted to recommend a $170,000 supplemental appropriation to fund a parks master plan contract awarded to MKSK, including a 20% contingency and a plan for 12–18 months of work and multiple community engagement sessions.
The finance committee voted to recommend a $170,000 supplemental appropriation to the council to fund a parks master plan contract awarded to MKSK.
Director Miller told the committee, "MKSK has been awarded the contract for the Parks Master plan," and said staff included a contingency after discussions with the firm. Committee members were given the firm's pricing proposal and asked questions about scope, schedule and community outreach.
The appropriation covers the consultant contract and related community engagement. A staff member explained that PROS (programming experts) will focus on program analysis while MKSK will lead outreach, the needs assessment and community visioning work. Staff described a public-engagement plan that includes three large-scale community input sessions plus numerous smaller stakeholder meetings with groups such as the garden club.
Committee members pressed staff on budget structure and timing. A committee member asked whether any money had been appropriated previously; staff confirmed none had been budgeted for this work during the prior budget cycle. Staff explained the appropriation is supplemental because the vendor and price were not known when the budget was adopted.
On contingency and scope, staff said the proposal includes a contingency to allow flexibility if additional community sessions or expanded scope are needed. "We could have potentially maybe three community input sessions aren't enough, and we decide we want to add a fourth," Unidentified Speaker 5 said, describing the rationale for a contingency to avoid repeated return trips for additional work.
Staff told the committee the project is expected to take 12 to 18 months, with the lower end possible but the timeline subject to schedule slips. Regarding payment, staff said the city typically opens a purchase order for the full contract amount when the contract is executed; the purchase order can carry across fiscal years until the project is complete.
Unidentified Speaker 1 moved to recommend approval of the supplemental appropriation to council; the motion received a second and passed by voice vote with ayes recorded. The committee then adjourned at about 7:00 p.m.
The council will consider the committee’s recommendation at a future meeting.
